Hitler’s Rise to Power Notes to accompany the PowerPoint. Birmingham Holocaust Education Center February 2008 1 Slide 1: Title Slide The rise of the Nazis defies any simple narrative. It came out of a myriad of interlacing events, ideologies and historical accidents. Slide 2: Graphic of “Lighting the Match” Some scholars believe that the Holocaust was masterminded by Adolf Hitler and was the result of long- term planning on his part. This opinion is often criticized for focusing too much on Hitler and letting everyone else off the hook. Other scholars downplay the role of Adolf Hitler and describe the Holocaust as something that evolved over time in an improvised way. That Hitler was in fact a weak dictator, swept along by forces outside of his control. A combination of these two viewpoints seems more in line. That Hitler was an essential factor in Nazism and the genocide it produced is without question. Without Hitler, Nazism, World War II and the Holocaust would have taken a very different form, if they had occurred at all. Yet Hitler did not have complete power – even dictators depend on popular support – and a program as massive as the crimes of Nazism required many accomplices. If one were to think of the Holocaust as a raging fire, certain essential components or “kindling” were necessary to create that fire. Some of those were: 1.The existing antisemitism. Hitler and the Nazis did not invent antisemitism. They simply reflected and built on prejudices that were familiar in many parts of Europe. A substantial part of the population had to be ready to consider it desirable, acceptable, or at least unavoidable, that certain other people would be isolated, persecuted, and killed. 2. The downturn in the German economy. Although the Weimar Republic was not fully endorsed by the populace, without the downturn in the German economy the Nazis would have never gained power. The massive inflation and unemployment, exacerbated by the Great Depression, sent the public into a panic, searching for a quick fix. 2 3. The desire for a renewed German Nationalism. After the humiliation of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was searching for strong leadership to return them to the days of international dominance. In order for that “kindling” to ignite, a “spark” was needed. That “spark or match” was Adolf Hitler. Once the fire was going, it was “fueled” by the Nazi Propaganda machine. War provided the killers with both a cover and an excuse for murder. Without the war, the Holocaust would not – and could not have happened. Slide 3: Graphic: How did Hitler become dictator of Germany? How did a high school drop-out from Austria, who never rose above the rank of Lance Corporal in the German Army, become dictator of Germany and ultimately most of the European continent? Slide 4: Myth of Fact? Slide 5: Hitler’s Rise to Power: Breaker Slide – Birth of Nazi Party Slide 6: Hitler’s Rise to Power: Birth of the Nazi Party After World War I, Hitler stayed in the army, which was now mainly engaged in suppressing the various political uprisings that were breaking out across Germany. In September, 1919, Corporal Hitler was ordered to investigate a small, potentially dangerous group in Munich, the German Worker’s Party. In this disorganized party, Hitler saw opportunity. Its members expressed a right-wing doctrine consistent with his own. At the age of 30, Hitler joined as member #555 (the numbering system began at #500 to make the group appear larger). He would later become the 7th member of the Executive Committee of the party (#7 represents “completeness” in Judeo-Christian theology). 3 It was here that Hitler discovered that he had two remarkable talents – public oratory and inspiring personal loyalty. His pounding fists, burning eyes, hoarse cries and hysterics aroused audiences to a fevered pitch. In 1920 Hitler took control of the group and changed the name to the National Socialist German Worker’s Party, National Sozialistische Deutsche Arbeiter Partei, NSDAP, or Nazi for short. He hoped the word “National” would attract nationalists who wanted to rebuild Germany and the word “Socialist” would attract socialists who wanted to improve the lives of working people in Germany. There were about 3,000 members. In 1922, Major Joseph Hell, a German journalist, had the occasion to interview Adolf Hitler, and he wrote about the experience in his memoirs. Toward the end of his interview Major Hell asked Hitler, “What do you want to do to the Jews once you have full discretionary powers?” Hitler abruptly changed his demeanor, raising his voice and carrying on as if he were addressing an outdoor rally: Once I really am in power, my first and foremost task will be the annihilation of the Jews. As soon as I have the power to do so, I will have gallows built in rows – at the Marienplatz in Munich, for example – as many as traffic allows. Then the Jews will be hanged discriminately, and they will remain hanging until they stink; they will hang there as long as the principles of hygiene permit. As soon as they have been untied, the next batch will be hung up, and so on down the line, until the last Jew in Munich has been exterminated. Other cities will follow suit, precisely in this fashion, until all Germany has been completely cleansed of Jews. Eleven years later, on Monday, January 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler, the former Austrian corporal, was sworn in by President Paul von Hindenburg as Chancellor of Germany. 4 Slide 7: Hitler’s Rise to Power: Breaker Slide – The Weimar Republic Slide 8: Election Chart: January 1919 In the elections of January 1919, 76% of the Germans voted for the 3 parties that favored democracy. Three parties formed a coalition: Social Democratic Party (SPD) – remained the largest party until 1932; industrial working class Catholic Center Party – desired to protect Catholic heritage from government interference; Catholics were 37% of the German population. German Democratic Party (DDP) – upper middle class, university intellectuals, businessmen In February, the elected officials met in the city of Weimar, Germany to draw up a constitution and the Weimar Republic was formed. Many German hated the new democracy from the start. The new Republic found itself attacked from both left- and right-wing politicians. On the left, the Communists hated the new government. They didn’t want a democracy – they wanted a ‘dictatorship of the workers’ which would bring in the Communist revolution. In January 1919 an extreme group of Communists called the Spartacists had rebelled, and there were many more Communist uprisings in the next few years. The right-wing politicians hated the Weimar government even more. The main problem was that the German Army had not actually surrendered – the German government had. Consequently, many proud right-wing Germans (“nationalists”) refused to believe that they had actually lost the war. They called the politicians who had signed the Armistice “the November Criminals,” and they were even more angry when the terms of the Treaty of Versailles became known in June 1919. To further undermine the Republic, these extremists blamed Germany’s defeat in World War I on an alleged conspiracy of Socialists and Jews. They were opposed to any democratic system, preferring an authoritarian state like the 1871 Empire. There was one right-wing rebellion instigated by the Freikorps – the Kapp Putsch in Berlin in 1920 – but right-wing attacks on the government took a different form. Right-wing groups assassinated politicians and set up paramilitary groups which terrorized their neighborhoods. When the government tried to bring any of them to court, right-wing judges let them off. 5 Slide 9: The Weimar Republic – Organizational Chart Questions for Discussion: Under Article 22 of the Weimar Constitution, political parties gained seats in the Reichstag in proportion to the percentage of votes they received in national elections. Do you believe that this approach is fairer than the American system in which congressional representatives are elected in winner-take-all contests? Should a political party that wins 10% of the vote in congressional elections be entitled to 10% of the seats in Congress? Explain. What problems might arise if there were five or more parties in Congress, each supported by fewer than 20% of American voters? 2. Under the Weimar Constitution, the president served as head of state in Germany’s dealings with other countries, while the chancellor, who was appointed by the president, ran the government on a day-to-day basis. How was this different from the American system. _________________________________________________________________ The Weimar Republic refers to the German government that was formed at Weimar, a town in the eastern part of the country, in February 1919, after Germany’s defeat in World War I. During its 14 short years, the republic would see 20 different governments in control. The government was set up as a parliamentary democracy with a multi-party legislature known as the Reichstag. The parties were elected by proportional representation (i.e. 10% of the votes = 10% of the seats). Several parties had to come together in order to achieve a majority and pass legislation. The new republic replaced the previous German monarchy of Kaiser Wilhelm II, who had abdicated his position and fled to Holland. From the beginning, the Weimar Republic seemed unlucky. Germans were unused to democracy, often pining for the predictable order of the monarchy. Stability seemed elusive. There were fatal weaknesses in the leadership. President Leading the government was a publicly elected President that served a 7-year term. His responsibilities included: - Head of the armed forces.